From: Steven Bucey
Subject: Re: MechWar '77
Ken wrote:
> Any comments on this? It's available in an auction, fairly cheap, and
> there aren't any links to it on Grognards.
>
> Ken Rutsky
MechWar uses exactly the same mechanics as Panzer 44, also published by
SPI. I wrote a review of Panzer 44 for the CABS newsletter which I post
below. Since the only real difference is the scenarios, it should serve
to introduce both games.
***
Panzer 44, published by Simulation Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975, is
also a game about tactical armored warfare in Europe between the Western
Allies and Germany in 1944 and 1945. Although not their first effort at
this topic and scale, Panzer 44 is the one everybody compared to Panzer
Leader. Published only a couple of years after Panzer Leader, the
comparison is a natural one to try and make. However, the games are far
different in mechanics.
The scale is about the same, at 200 meters per hex and 6 minutes per turn,
with units representing platoons of tanks, infantry and artillery. Units
are rated for attack, defense, range and movement, and are divided into
armored and non-armored targets. However, just about everything else is
different, right down to the maps.
I’ll start with the sequence of play. P44 uses a simultaneous-sequential
system. At the start of each turn, both players plot the actions of their
units for the turn. Units which are to make an attack must indicate the
exact target hex, while units which are to move need only be noted as
making a move.
Before any actions are resolved there is a “Panic Determination” phase.
You may recall from my article on Panzer Leader that it had no soft
factors in the system. P44 tries to add morale and command control. Each
army is rated for a panic level, and this is used during this phase to
determine which units will actually be able to act this turn. I’ll get
into details later.
Combat is next, and is simultaneous. That means that everybody who is
shooting gets to shoot, and the results are applied afterward. Thus, two
tanks facing each other might shoot and kill each other.
Movement is next, with the “first player” getting the chance to move all
his units, and then the second player moving all of his units. Movement
is not simultaneous.
After all the shooing and movement comes the chance to remove the effects
of combat, which are “pin” and “disruptions.” “Pin” results simply
prevent a unit from moving, while “disruption” does this and affects the
unit in other ways. In particular, a unit which receives three disruption
results is destroyed. Removal of disruptions depends upon a die roll,
with higher levels of disruption being more difficult to remove.
Finally, Indirect Fire, plotted at the start of the turn, is conducted.
Combat is conducted using differentials. In Panzer Leader, Anti-tank
combat is affected by the unit’s range, such that a unit’s value is
doubled out to half range and normal out to full range. So a Sherman
firing on a Panther at half range (four or less) has 22-12 or 1-1 odds,
while at long range (5 to 8 hexes) has 11-12 or 1-2 odds. In P44, a range
attenuation table gives double attack strength only for adjacent targets,
then reduces the combat strength steadily out to -6 at long range; this
table is independent of the weapon system and is used by all units. So,
at 1 hex range the same Sherman is attacking the same Panther at +4, -3
from 2 to 3 hexes, and progressively worse past that. What does that
mean? At 1 hex the Sherman has a chance of killing the Panther, but past
that its chances are very slim that it will even affect the Panther. This
is far more realistic than in Panzer Leader.
Attacks by anti-tank gun armed units against armored targets are done
rather well, as described above, but their attacks against other target
types are not handled as well. That same Sherman can plaster an infantry
platoon, as its attack strength is not modified by target type. On the
other hand, small arms and high explosive fire is handled very well. In
particular, high explosive fire from even a lowly mortar can disrupt an
infantry platoon, almost unheard of in Panzer Leader. Also, such fire
affects all targets in the hex equally. No more diluting of combat
strength as in Panzer Leader, just because there are more targets. More
targets produce a target rich environment.
One of the problems with Panzer Leader was the Overrun rule, only
partially solved by Opportunity fire. In P44, overruns are far more
difficult and less effective. For one thing, the movement allowances of
the units are lower, there are no special bonuses for making the overrun.
On the other hand, Opportunity Fire is more difficult. In Panzer Leader a
unit can shoot at any target which moves ¼ or more of its movement
allowance while in its line of sight. In P44, a unit must have a plotted
line of fire and may fire at any unit which crosses this “trip-wire,”
meaning it must ignore a fat wagon load of infantry waddling by, but
otherwise not crossing that line.
The map is an actual map of the French countryside. Though large, it is
not geomorphic as with PL. Normally this is completely irrelevant for a
game, but the intent here was to produce a game covering many engagements
throughout France and Germany, and the map is just not up to covering
terrain from the Normandy hedgerows to the open French country to the
Ardennes forest with its rough, hilly terrain. Color is even lacking, as
most things are shades of gray rather than green for woods and brown for
hills.
Probably the only significant problem with the game is the Panic rule. In
an effort to simulate command control and morale, P44 uses what it calls
Panic. Each army has a panic level, which can change based on certain
conditions. If a unit panics, it can’t shoot, and automatically moves in
a random direction if it was plotted to move. Nice idea, poor execution.
This is done by the following method.
Ten chits marked 0-9 are provided. To determine his panic, a player draws
a number of chits equal to his panic level. The numbers drawn correspond
to the hex rows in which units are affected. All such units in those hex
rows panic. You need to worry about the hex row you are putting your
units in, since all units in a given hex row are affected, so you try not
to place all your units in the same rows! In my mind, this almost
destroys the game.
One last problem is stacking. Normally, there is none. You can’t even
have a tank platoon in the same 200 x 200 meter patch of ground with an
infantry unit. At this scale that is absurd.
Finally, you don’t get a lot of the bells and whistles you get with Panzer
Leader. Engineers are just weak infantry; there are no planes,
engineering vehicles, or other goodies. I get the feeling that not a lot
of effort went into P44, despite some good ideas.
P44 has a sister game called Mechwar 77. This game covers hypothetical
combat in Europe during W.W.III in the 1970’s. Other than different
counters, and new rules for helicopters and wire guided anti-tank
missiles, the games are identical. In fact, there is even a scenario that
lets you use the Tiger and Panther units from P44 to fight Soviet T-62s.
Steve
--
---------------------------------------
The Columbus Area Boardgaming Society web site:
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Happiness comes in packages marked, "Batteries not included."
From: Steven Bucey
Subject: Re: MechWar '77
I just noticed that I said a lie regarding the Panzer 44/Mechwar Range
attenuation table. H class weapons (firing high explosives) do not range
attenuate.
Steve
Steven Bucey wrote:
> Combat is conducted using differentials. In Panzer Leader, Anti-tank
> combat is affected by the unit’s range, such that a unit’s value is
> doubled out to half range and normal out to full range. So a Sherman
> firing on a Panther at half range (four or less) has 22-12 or 1-1 odds,
> while at long range (5 to 8 hexes) has 11-12 or 1-2 odds. In P44, a range
> attenuation table gives double attack strength only for adjacent targets,
> then reduces the combat strength steadily out to -6 at long range; this
> table is independent of the weapon system and is used by all units. So,
> at 1 hex range the same Sherman is attacking the same Panther at +4, -3
> from 2 to 3 hexes, and progressively worse past that. What does that
> mean? At 1 hex the Sherman has a chance of killing the Panther, but past
> that its chances are very slim that it will even affect the Panther. This
> is far more realistic than in Panzer Leader.
--
---------------------------------------
The Columbus Area Boardgaming Society web site:
http://web.jadeinc.com/spqr
Happiness comes in packages marked, "Batteries not included."